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November 20, 2017

Parliamentary panel to look into airlines’ treatment of flyers

<!– /11440465/Dna_Article_Middle_300x250_BTF –>In the wake of a huge row over manhandling of a passenger by IndiGo Airlines last month, a Parliamentary committee will be examining the issue of “behaviour of airline personnel towards passengers” on Monday.The Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee of Transport, Tourism and Culture headed by Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’ Brien has called the Secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation, along with representatives of Airports Authority of India, Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, on Monday.The panel has also asked public carrier Air India and private airlines, including Indigo, to appear before it and explain their views on the matter. Representatives from Jet Airways, Spicejet, Go Air, Vistara and Air Asia will also appear. The panel has sought their views on passenger amenities and behaviour of airline personnel towards passengers.The panel is expected to examine the issue comprehensively. The 31-member panel has 21 MPs.An internal inquiry report by IndiGo, after the incident in October, had said it was actually the “whistleblower”, who circulated the video, who was to be blamed for the incident.After the Indigo incident, public carrier Air India had come out with a hilarious photo, saying “we raise our hands only to say Namaste”, taking an apparent dig at the private airline.Even lawmakers have been found to be on the wrong side of the fence a number of times. Last year, there was a huge row when five airlines — Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Jet Airways and GoAir — put a ban on Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad after he admitted to having bashed up an elderly AI employee.The issue had led to a huge political controversy. Sena had sided with Gaikwad, who ultimately wrote a letter to Civil Aviation Minister A Gajapati Raju, expressing regret but offering no apology.